Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be.” Think of your heart as your satisfaction. Our culture increasingly defines people by things. Material things can never define who are on the inside.
Hebrews 6:1, Let us go on to maturity.
Today, we are going to look at the fifth characteristic of spiritual maturity—financial generosity. Before we look at some principles from the Bible, let’s look at some trends in the American Church.
Giving by Christians is down 19% over the last three years. 32% of Christians claim to tithe, but only 12% actually give 10% of their income to the work of the church. Giving by Christians has been a steady decline for over 30 years, giving just over 6% of their income to the church in the 1973 down to under 3% today Personal income in America has increased 90 % in the last 40 years.
We do not have a financial problem we have a spiritual problem. Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6:19-34 offers us four key principles regarding the proper view of material possessions. Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where they can be eaten by moths and get rusty, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where they will never become moth-eaten or rusty and where they will be safe from thieves. Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be. Your eye is a lamp for your body. A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul. But an evil eye shuts out the light and plunges you into darkness. If the light you think you have is really darkness, how deep that darkness will be! No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. So I tell you, don’t worry about everyday life-whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn’t life consist of more than food and clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are. Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not. And why worry about your clothes? Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won’t he more surely care for you? You have so little faith! So don’t worry about having enough food or drink or clothing. Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (NLT)
God is the provider of all things.
Clarity begins when we reduce life to its simplest principles.
Since God owns everything, our role is that of a trustee. A person who manages someone else’s property and keeps the owner’s best interest in mind.
Money has always been a hot button.
This is true because there is a battle for mastery going on.
Money is not a neutral issue. It is a moral issue.
What you spend your money on reflects the values you hold as a person.
Jesus calls us to invest our lives in his Kingdom not our stuff.
The Kingdom of God is God’s agenda
Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be.” Think of your heart as your satisfaction. Our culture increasingly defines people by things. Material things can never define who are on the inside.
To seek God’s Kingdom first and to store up treasure in heaven, you must be an active giver not a collector of stuff.
Your stuff has to be subordinated to the greater purposes of the Kingdom of God. You will have to force your stuff to be less important to you than God’s agenda.